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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29342610">𝐴𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑖𝑎</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThorneKate/pseuds/ThorneKate'>ThorneKate</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Caius enjoying pissing Aro off, F/M, Past Lives, True Mates, general volturi antics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:49:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,517</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29342610</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThorneKate/pseuds/ThorneKate</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>𝐴𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑖𝑎: 𝑎 𝑛𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑔𝑖𝑎 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"𝑌𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛 ℴ𝓁𝒹 𝓈ℴ𝓊𝓁, ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I would consider it a good day if I only heard that question 10 times a day.</p>
<p>First, it was my teachers commenting on my work then it was my coworkers gesturing to my chosen style and the way I carry myself. Even the way I talk sounds like I'm from a different time. </p>
<p>Sometimes it does start to feel like I was pulled out of a different era and dropped here by mistake.</p>
<p>One chance meeting only cemented the idea, and the bigger shock was the name he called me.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Well, this should be interesting...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aro (Twilight)/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                                                                                          </p><p>"𝐼 𝒹𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝑜 𝒻𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝒾𝒶𝓇 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑒 – 𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝓎 𝒾𝓉<br/>
𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁𝓈 𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝑔𝑒𝓉𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽<br/>
𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝓇𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒. 𝐻𝑜𝓌 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓈𝓂𝒾𝓁𝑒, 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎<br/>
𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓈𝓅𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝓂𝑒 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓈𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒾𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝒸𝓁𝓊𝓈𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉<br/>
𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒, 𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 – 𝒾𝓃<br/>
𝒶𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒, 𝒶 𝒹𝒾𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝒸𝑒 – 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑒𝓍𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒."</p><p>-𝓛𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓛𝓮𝓪𝓿</p><p> </p><p>“Lizzy, come on! Our flight is boarding!” Isabella said as she dragged me towards the plane. You know, when I signed up as a foreign exchange student going to the US, this was not what I thought I would be doing. Following the host’s daughter back to my home country on some life or death situation was not how I wanted to spend my semester abroad, yet here I am… Being dragged through the Seattle airport to fly back to Italy. I swear if this American thinks she can drag me here and expect me to translate for her I may scream.</p><p>“Where are we going, Isabella?” I tried to ask as I attempted to pull out of her grip, but all she did was glare at me before turning back to her weird fairy-esque friend. After we found our seats, I shoved in my headphones and continued to read my Edgar Allen Poe book.</p><p>While I may only be eighteen, I have always felt more drawn to classical literature like poetry. Since a young age, all I ever heard was ‘you just have an old soul’. As I got older, my teachers would leave it as a comment on every essay and creative writing assignment I ever turned in. Most people thought I was mature for my age, and that left me without many friends. I only had my best friend Annabeth growing up. While I had been seen as the weird kid who was obsessed with poetry that most of my peers could only dream of understanding, Annabeth had been a part of the popular crowd from the very beginning. Where I chose to spend my time with books, she was the one getting invited to parties and the like. Of course, my preferences for corsets and older fashion didn’t gain me any points, but Anna stuck with me through it all and is more like my sister than my best friend. Reaching the end of my book, I tried again to get some answers for this impromptu travel.</p><p>“So, where exactly is our mysterious destination? Considering my home is here in Italy, it would be nice to know where we are going when we land.” Isabella ignored me again, but at least her friend took pity on me.</p><p>“We are going to Volterra. Have you heard of it before?” She had the decency to at least feign some curiosity, and I smiled at the effort.<br/>
“I grew up there actually. You do know that we are arriving during the San Marcus Day festival, right? It is going to be next to impossible to find any sort of accommodations within the city.” That seemed to finally interest Isabella as she jumped into our conversation.</p><p>“So have you heard of the Volutri?” She desperately asked and I rolled my eyes.</p><p>“If you mean Volturi Enterprises, then yes. They fund most of the arts programs within the city as well as a few specialty schools that have internship opportunities at the end of some of the programs. But if you are trying to ask about the rumors that seem to surround the three brothers that run it, then I can’t help you. I’ve never put much stock into wild theories that people seem to continually come up with. They are gracious enough to invest in our city, and that is enough for me.” They shared a look as I explained, and I had to refrain from vocalizing my annoyance. Isabella looked like she was about to say something, but her friend got this weird faraway look in her eyes before blinking rapidly and looked from her to me in shock.</p><p>“Alice, what did you see?” She tried to whisper, but this girl has no volume control on her voice. But at least I now have a name for the friend… Wait, why did she ask what she saw?</p><p>“They refused him! But we may have a way to still keep it from happening. She will have to come with us though.” Alice said in a low voice, but I still caught what she was saying.</p><p>“No offense or anything, but I didn’t sign up to play translator to two American tourists. What are you even trying to involve me in?” And as usual with Isabella, my comment and question went completely ignored. Letting out an annoyed huff, I put my headphones back on and opted for sleeping the rest of the long flight.</p><p>Unfortunately, I was woken up way too soon and kind of violently by Isabella and Alice rushing me to gather our things before Alice disappeared only to return with a bright yellow Porsche. I’ll say this, Alice drove like she was on the German autobahn instead of trying to get us to Volterra.</p><p>“He’s going to make a scene. Expose himself to the humans. They won’t let him get that far.” Alice said suddenly and I had to hide a chuckle as Isabella started to panic.</p><p>“When Alice?” I swear this girl is constantly finding ways to worry about everything but herself.<br/>
 <br/>
“At noon, when the sun is at its highest. He’ll be under the clocktower. You have to go alone, you’re the only one he can’t see coming. If we go, he’ll think we’re lying and rush into it.” That caused her to fidget in her seat as we neared the walls of the city and I smiled as I felt the ache in my chest lessen the closer we got to my beloved home. In my moment of distraction, Isabella had fled the car and Alice was pulling me out in some shaded alley and not so subtly dragged me towards the very clocktower that I was told to avoid as a child. Now though, I felt myself being pulled further into the beautiful architecture.</p><p>“Genevieve? What treachery is this?” One of the two men in front of us growled out.</p><p>“Mi scusi, ma non mi chiamo Genevieve. E ' Elizabeth. Posso chiederle perché devo seguirla? Conosco a malapena questi americani. Sono un cittadino di Volterra.” (Pardon, but my name is not Genevieve. It is Elizabeth. May I ask why I am to follow you? I barely know these Americans. I am a citizen of Volterra.) They seemed shocked at the reveal, but before they could say anything a young blonde showed up.</p><p>“Aro wants to know what is taking so long.” Despite her icy tone, the name she spoke sent a warm feeling fluttering in my chest leaving me very confused as to why. I didn’t have the luxury to dwell on the thought though because I was soon being ushered down the long hallway before being pushed into an elevator. Once the doors opened, I was surprised to see a posh waiting area but a familiar voice pulled me from my admiration.</p><p>“Buon pomeriggio.” (Good afternoon.) I almost squealed as I laid eyes on my best friend.</p><p>“Annabeth! Da quando hai un lavoro?” (Annabeth! Since when did you have a job?) I sassed and we laughed as her eyes lit up and for a moment we forgot that we weren’t in a normal setting.</p><p>“Qual è L'Americano con cui sei rimasto bloccato? Ti prego, dimmi che non è quello con zero senso della moda.” (Which one is the American you got stuck with? Please tell me it's not the one with zero sense of fashion.) I rolled my eyes as she pulled me in for a hug before the blonde girl cleared her throat to get our attention.</p><p>“Ne parliamo dopo.” (We’ll talk later.) She said with a smile as she went back to doing whatever it is she was doing when we arrived. Alice nudged me back to our group and whispered for me to stay by her as we moved down a long hallway and the warm feeling in my chest turned to a strong pulling sensation when the two huge wooden doors in front of us were thrown open. Taking in the beauty of the room, I couldn’t help but to notice the three men that were sitting on very ornate seats that could very well be thrones with how they looked. Sparing a glance between them, I felt like my heart was going to burst as my eyes landed on the handsome raven-haired one in the middle. As he walked closer, his focus was solely on Isabella and who I’m guessing is the boyfriend she was so desperate to save, and I had to swallow down a flash of sudden jealousy as I shook my head to clear away the bizarre feeling. But my eyes refused to leave him as he spoke with the two before the others noticed that I was even present, and they had the same startled reactions that the taller one from before did.</p><p>“Genevieve? How is this even possible?” The blonde man said which caused the other to snap his attention to me. What left me more confused than this whole thing was the look of devastation and grief he held in his eyes.</p><p>“Mi dispiace, ma mi chiamo Elizabeth. Genevieve è il mio secondo nome.” (I'm sorry, but my name is Elizabeth. Genevieve is my middle name.) They seemed surprised by my use of Italian in place of English like the others. while they tried to process what I said, the tall one from before stepped in.</p><p>“Lei è di Volterra.” (She is from Volterra.) That seemed to surprise them even more, but as my eyes finally met the one who has captured my attention I felt all the previous nerves settle and disappear. For a second, I could have sworn that it was just the two of us standing alone in the room but the fact that the suit he had been wearing transformed into blood-soaked armor I knew something must have been different. What happened next completely changed my theory that I was going crazy.</p><p>“Είσαι, αγάπη μου. Είσαι στ ' αλήθεια εσύ?” (Aro, my love. Is it really you?) Where did that even come from? I don’t even speak Greek! The longer we remained locked in each other’s gaze, the more the scene around us seemed to change. Lavish dresses and parties, the inhumanly gorgeous man and I dancing until the sun was rising on the horizon filled with stolen kisses and tender moments that made my heart fall for the man even though I had yet to find out his name. Even the other two were present in some of the scenes that played in my head like some combination of a cinematic movie and long since forgotten memories from a possible previous life. As more and more images started pouring into my consciousness, I forced myself to look away in the hopes that that would be enough to stop the flooding headache I was getting. However one last thing came out of my mouth, thankfully in Italian at least, that made the whole room go completely silent. “Se sei qui, Cosa è successo ai nostri bambini? Dove sono Aurora e Alec? (If you are here, what happened to our babies? Where are Aurora and Alec?) Okay, what am I even talking about? I sound like a woman possessed. Who are Aurora and Alec?</p><p>“How is that possible? No one has called her that since Genevieve…” The man from trailed off as his eyes with tears and it took everything in me to not get closer to him and wipe them away as they started to freely fall. He took a brief moment to collect himself before he spoke again. “May I?” He offered his hand and I went to take it before Isabella stepped between us. Thunderous growls rang through the room which made her boyfriend pull her closer and out of my way. I happily walked closer to him and I heard him let out a broken chuckle as I glared at Isabella when I shoved past her. Gently placing my hand in his, I could swear that I felt an electric shock run throughout my body as he placed a kiss on it. In an effort to calm my burning face, I observed the movement his eyes made. Flicking back and forth as if searching for something, but not anything that was in front of him. No, it was more like he was searching through a memory and coming up empty.<br/>
 <br/>
What should have given me pause was the startling scarlet irises of his eyes, but on him, the color seemed to fit perfectly. However, what did give me a bit of a scare was the distinct lack of seeing the edge of a contact lens. Which would make that his real eye color… What made it worse was that I noticed that he also hadn’t taken a breath in several minutes either. Add in the sudden realization that his hand was freezing, and I took an involuntary step back as the dots connected in my head. All those warnings and stories the older people of my community about who truly lived under the clocktower, despite the festival that was happening today. Feeling my fear rise, I pulled my hand away from his and backed up until I felt my back hit what I thought was a wall but was only the taller man from before.</p><p>“So cosa sei! Stai lontano da me!” (I know what you are! Stay away from me!) I tried to make a run for the door we came through, but as quick as I blinked it was blocked by the shorter one from before. With the tears running down my face, I pleaded with the man who is now one of my captors. “Voglio parlare con Annabeth. Ti prego, fammi vedere prima di uccidermi.” (I want to talk to Annabeth. Please just let me see her before you kill me.) That seemed to confuse them until the blonde girl spoke up.</p><p>“It would seem that the human receptionist is a friend of hers.” She said disdainfully and if I wasn’t already more concerned for my life I would have defended my friend.</p><p>“I see. That will complicate things. Felix, escort Ms. Elizabeth,” He hesitated on my name. “to my quarters and I will make sure to send the girl up once we are done here.” As much as I felt drawn to the man whose name I still didn’t know, being separated from the only other person I knew here at the moment sent me into a panic.</p><p>The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was him rushing forward to catch me before I hit the floor and darkness consumed me.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                                                                                       </p><p>"𝐿𝒾𝒻𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝑔𝑜, 𝒾𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊.</p><p>𝐼𝓉'𝓈 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊."</p><p>--𝒵𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝒢𝓇𝑒𝓎</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em> <b>*</b> </em> <em> <b>Aro's</b> </em> <em> <b> POV*</b> </em></p><p>Sitting on the floor cradling the woman that bears the same face as my beloved Genevieve, I couldn't feel more helpless. The day Genevieve died was both the happiest and the most heartbreaking one, and I never got the chance to tell her what I was before she passed. That horribly beautiful day was the day our beautiful twins were born. Our beautiful Aurora Jane and Alecsander. When I was looking through her memories, I saw the flashes from our time together mixed with her current life and I had to thank the gods that they were giving a monster like me a second chance with my first and only love. A second chance to make my family whole again, and the chance for Jane and Alec to finally have a mother in their lives.</p><p>"Leave. Take the girl and leave. We are finished here." I shouted at them as I gather <em>Elizabeth</em> in my arms much to the amusement of Caius. For my sake, he had the decency to wait until the others had left before making any comments.</p><p>"So, we are to keep her here, clearly against her will? How <em>chivalrous</em> of you brother." He mocked while I glared at him before turning to my son.</p><p>"Alec, please bring this Annabeth to my chambers. It may help for her to wake up to a familiar face." Looking away from her beautiful face, I looked at Alec to see him looking at us a little unsure of the whole situation.</p><p>"Is this really what mother looked like? Has she really returned to us?" With every hesitant step he took forward, I saw Jane take the same step away. Unfortunately, she has never been too good with changes that affect her life, and I may be partly to blame for that. I know that I have coddled her, probably too much for her own good, but she is my little girl. From the minute they were born, they had me wrapped around their tiny fingers and the passage of time has not diminished this fact.</p><p>"Your mother had blonde hair instead of this silver color, but yes her features are identical. It seems like some of her previous memories have started to resurface in broken pieces, but only time will tell how much she will truly remember." Letting out an unneeded sigh as his face fell, I knew that was not what he was wanting to hear. "If this woman is anything like your mother was, then you needn't worry. I don't see her leaving us any time soon once she adjusts to the shock." He only nodded his head in response before walking out of the room.</p><p>"Shall we postpone the rest of the trials then?" Marcus asked, smiling at us.</p><p>"Yes, but I will take her to my room before Heidi returns." <em>Which should be sometime shortly.</em></p><p>"Of course. Should I tell Didyme about what has happened?" I quickly objected to the idea. Knowing how my sister was when Genevieve died, I don't want to upset her if Elizabeth decides that she doesn't want to stay. No, it was bad enough that Alec and I were already getting hopeful. Jane keeping her distance and keeping my sister in the dark was for the best at the moment. "I see that look Aro, this will work out for the better. The bond is already there, and she is remembering. just try to not rush things with her. She may look like her, but Elizabeth is her own person. For all we know, she could have a completely different personality." Caius scoffed at the notion.</p><p>"Here's to hoping she does! It would do you some good Aro. Maybe the challenge will lessen that ego of yours." For a brief moment I almost forgot about the woman I was holding in favor of attacking Caius, but as she stirred in my arms, I felt all the anger dissolve in an instant. Without even having a proper conversation, the angel in my hold has me already wrapped around her finger. The thought should have scared me, but there was something that felt so right. If she so much as asked for me to set myself on fire when she woke up, I wouldn't hesitate if it meant the last thing that I saw was her. I couldn't help the grin that rose as she unconsciously nuzzled her head against my chest. Without a word, I walked out of the room in the direction of my chambers completely missing the shocked look on Caius' face. Hearing the growing heartbeats, I sighed as I ran the rest of the way before setting her on the bed. Laying her down gently, I had to refrain from kissing her forehead and reluctantly pulled myself back to the throne room just in time for feeding.</p><p>Once the now drained bodies had been disposed of, I sat and let my thoughts carry on about the goddess upstairs. Her previous reaction did not bode well for our first interaction, that is if she even allowed me near her again. Running a hand down my face, I wondered if today would be the last time I saw her. Even with her knowing our secret and our laws regarding humans who know too much, I could never let one of them harm her while I lived. No, if she decided to reject the bond then she would be free to leave. If I want to gain her favor, she will be with the utmost respect. Another thought bubbled up that caused a bit of concern. If she knows Felix's mate, what would that girl tell her when we were not around to listen in?</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>
  <em> <b>*Liz's POV*</b> </em>
</p><p>Squinting against the wet cloth that covered my eyes, I slowly sat up while removing it and felt my panic rising until a hand grabbed mine making me jump.</p><p>"Calmati. Sono solo io." (Chill out. It's just me.) Rolling my eyes at my best friend, I momentarily forgot where I was until I realized that I was sitting with my best friend which meant it wasn't all some crazy twisted dream I had.</p><p>"Lo sai?" (Do you know?) I quietly asked and her avoiding my gaze was all the answer I needed. "Perche ' lavori per loro, allora?" (Why are you even working for them then?)</p><p>"La paga era troppo buona per rinunciare." (The pay was too good to pass up.) I rolled my eyes and lightly shoved her. "Onestamente però, non l'ho scoperto fino a dopo che mi hanno assunto." (Honestly though, I did not find out until after they hired me.)</p><p>"Allora perche'sei rimasto? Perché non smettere?" (Then why did you stay? Why not just quit?) Best friend or not, Anna can be a little self-destructive with some of her life choices. Which is also why we worked well together, I balanced out her half-cooked ideas with logic. As she started bouncing in her place, she swapped to speaking in English, so she didn't speak too fast.</p><p>"I probably shouldn't be the one telling you this, but you know how I have always loved the idea of soulmates?" Anna asked and I don't think I liked the little glint in her eyes.</p><p>"What about it?" <em>There really is no telling what she has come up with at this point.</em></p><p>"Turns out they're real! Except vampires refer to them as mates, but it's the same concept. Well, I found out that one of them is my soulmate!" She gushed and while I was happy for my friend, I couldn't help the next question that came out of my mouth.</p><p>"What happens when you die then? Aren't they supposed to be immortal, unless..." I trailed off as she looked down again. "You want to be one of them, don't you?" She only nodded her head in response.</p><p>"Liz, I love him. He is so sweet and caring, and I think that if you just gave him a chance that you would get along just fine. So, what they're vampires? At least they only take what they need from criminals. They even have a rule that citizens of Volterra can't be harmed by another vampire. This coven is the one who makes all the rules, which is amazing to me, and I saw one of the main leaders bring you in here." She gave me her trademark smirk as she left the insinuation unsaid vocally, but still very clear.</p><p>"Oh, hush you. I don't know why he brought me here. I kind of freaked out when I put the pieces together. How long have I even been out?" The only window I saw had heavy curtains blocking out the light, so I couldn't judge based on that and I honestly forgot about my phone as I asked.</p><p>"Only a couple of hours. Dinner should be ready soon though." <em>Why did they even bother if they survive on blood?</em> And as if she could read my mind, she answered my unasked question. "They have a regular human staff here besides me. Maids, people to run errands, cooks for said human staff, tailors..."</p><p>"Oh. What happens to them after?" I couldn't even bring myself to further the question.</p><p>"Most have worked here for generations and have families at home. While yes, they have this <em>human-hating</em> persona they like to keep, they do treat us well here. Before I was found to have a mate, they offered me a place to stay here during my employment. Now I just stay with my mate." <em>I swear if she says the word mate one more time, I might have to shove her off the bed.</em></p><p>"So, who is this mystery man? The last time I saw you this happy was when you got to go to Milan for Fashion week." I laughed as she lit up even more than before.</p><p>"He's wonderful! Tall, dark, and handsome type. He seems like the quiet type, but once he opens up, we can talk for hours about everything and nothing at all. He's absolutely perfect!" She gushed and I couldn't help the small pang of envy that rose. "He's actually the tall one that you came in with. His name is Felix." <em>At least I now have a name for him.</em></p><p>"Am I allowed out of here?" Given that they basically are holding me hostage at this point, I would rather not end up as a snack.</p><p>"I'm not sure. Alec didn't say when he brought me here, but Demetri is outside the door. I can ask him and see?" She offered and I nodded now hesitant to be going anywhere as a human surrounded by vampires. How Annabeth is so comfortable here is beyond me. Before she could leave my side though, the shorter one from before, Demetri, entered the room.</p><p>"You are more than welcome to wander the castle, miss. I would have to accompany you for the sake of your safety, of course." As my fear rose, I watched Anna roll her eyes before turning to glare at him.</p><p>"Dem, you're going to scare her. She's like my sister, and I would appreciate if you didn't further her anxiety about the whole situation. Especially since we still don't know what happened." She scolded him and he only chuckled in response.</p><p>"Calm down little sis, it was only a bit of fun." <em>Why is he calling her his sister?</em> "But yes, she is free to go with you and get food. You get cranky enough when hungry, we don't need two of you getting like that." <em>What the absolute hell is going on right now?</em><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"Rude. Don't make me tell Felix you were being mean to me again. He may be your soul-brother, but mate trumps sibling." She sassed and I hid my own giggle as he looked a little paler than before if that was even possible. "Now let's get moving. Food awaits us and you need to keep your energy up before the jetlag settles in. I'm sure Aro will want to talk with you later." She said happily while she pulled me off the bed and proceeded to drag me down the twisting hallways all the while Demetri laughed at her antics.</p><p>The closer we got to wherever her destination was, the stronger the smell of freshly cooked bread got until my mouth was watering. "Leon made his famous pizza! You're going to love this!" And it was just as good as she made it sound. It was obvious that everything was freshly made and cooked to perfection. While we ate, we caught each other up on what has been going on in our lives since I left for America a few months prior.</p><p>"Wait, so she really just shut down all because the guy left her? How absolutely pathetic! Even I can know that they are not mates, and yet she was acting like it was the end of the world for her." She ranted and the last bit caught my attention.</p><p>"How do you know that they were not mates? Granted she went to the extreme, if you watered down her reaction to acceptable levels it doesn't seem that outlandish... In theory at least." <em>Now don't think I'm defending her in any way, but I still don't know how mates work.</em> She scoffed and rolled her eyes at my question.</p><p>"The way Felix explained it was that, as a vampire, leaving your mates was too painful to even contemplate. He called it a <em>fate worse than death</em>. Most would rather go through the change for all of eternity than to be separated from their mate, willingly or unwillingly. If he was able to just up and leave her, he was not her mate. Maybe a fascination or obsession, but not mates." I sat in stunned silence at her explanation. This whole mate business sounds so intense and honestly, I was afraid of it happening to me. To have someone be so dedicated to you and only you for the rest of time was insane. But there was still a part of me that was longing for a love that was all-consuming.</p><p>"What does it feel like for you?" I whispered around my fearful curiosity as the gorgeous man from before came to mind.</p><p>"Well, before I knew who he was I felt this pull in my chest when he was near. But it wasn't until I gained enough confidence to start looking them in the eye that I felt this warmth settle in my chest. Like I was finally at peace after struggling through life. I will admit that I was scared too at first, I mean having that reaction to someone you hardly know is terrifying, but once I started to accept what I was feeling I knew that I would never feel like this for someone else ever again. And the first time we kissed – it was the kind of feeling that people write fairytales about." The more she explained, the more I felt my heart sink.</p><p>"Was there ever a spark when you touch?" I hesitantly asked and luckily, she was too busy daydreaming to notice my nervous fidgeting.</p><p>"More like a full-on electric current." She sighed wistfully before snapping back to reality. "Why do you ask?"</p><p>"No reason." I tried to quickly dismiss her question and she narrowed her eyes before letting it go. "So, what is life like here?" Thankfully, she didn't push the change in subject as I swallowed around the lump in my throat. She happily droned on and on while I zoned out, too caught up in my thoughts to fully listen to a word she was saying.</p><p>She pretty much exactly described the way I felt earlier, and now I was having mixed feelings about this whole thing. Did I really want to be tied to this stranger for the rest of eternity? I mean, I'm only eighteen. I still have the rest of my life ahead of me! Would he expect me to change my life and become like him? Granted I would get to stay with my best friend, but is this guy really worth giving up my mortal life for? And then there's the random memories that started popping up when I got here... Memories that felt like I was actually there and experiencing them firsthand instead of just something in my head. <em>Christ, I could still feel the tender caress of his lips on my neck.</em> Suppressing a shudder, I was pulled from my thoughts by Anna snapping her fingers in front of my face.</p><p>"Did something happen Liz? You don't normally get this spacey unless something is bothering you." Feeling my cheeks heat up, I sighed as she laid a hand on my arm.</p><p>"I'm just overthinking something. It's nothing." I tried to wave off the concern, but as usual Annabeth was having none of it.</p><p>"Okay, spill. This is obviously not nothing. Now start talking before I break out the whiskey and get you to talk. Your choice, the easy way, or the hard way." She stated and I knew there was no room for argument in her tone.</p><p>"Something happened in that room. Something I couldn't explain in the moment. Anna, everything you said before, I felt in that room. That strange pull in my chest that preceded the warmth and peace. I looked in his eyes and I had these weird flashes of memories that are mine, but at the same time not." I shook my head as I tried to focus on getting the words out coherently. "It feels like I might have known him before, but not in this lifetime. More like we had met before, in a different life maybe. But that wasn't even the weirdest part. While the memories were still reeling, I said something in Greek."</p><p>"You don't even know Greek! How is that even possible?" She interrupted and I just shrugged.</p><p>"I wish I knew." We sat in silence over that before she jumped at me.</p><p>"So, who was? You never said which one." The little mischievous glint in her eye told me she already knew but she still wanted it confirmed.</p><p>"Honestly, I don't know. I never got his name, but he is stunning. He has kind of long, dark hair if that helps." I offered and she rolled her eyes.</p><p>"His name is Aro and good luck to you. You're going to need it." My jaw dropped at her statement and it sent my thoughts reeling yet again.</p><p>"Why?" I swallowed thickly and hoped it wasn't because he was particularly cruel or anything.</p><p>"Because Aro is one of the three kings of the vampire world. The other two you saw sitting next to him are Caius, the blonde one, and Marcus, the one with the curly hair. You just got every little girl's dream." <em>But that would make me...</em></p><p>"Oh gods." Forgetting the rest of my food, I started pacing to try and stop my now rising panic.</p><p>"Liz. Elizabeth, calm down before you pass out again!" She snapped at me and I glared at her.</p><p>"Anna, you know I don't adapt well to things like this. This changes everything that I thought was true about my life! How am I meant to drop every plan I ever made and be calm about uprooting my entire life for someone that I don't even know, let alone deal with the fact that he is a blood-drinking vampire?!" My breath was steadily getting quicker and shallower until I felt a hard slap land on my cheek.</p><p>"Elizabeth Genevieve De Luca, you listen, and you listen well. You need to snap out of this <em>woe is me</em> attitude. This is not the end of the world, and this is about more than just you. Do you think he isn't just as terrified about this as you are? Hell, when we found out Felix was my mate, he avoided me because he thought I would reject him! This is just as nerve-racking for him as it is you." She lectured me and I felt my cheeks dampen with tears at her harsh, but necessary, words. Sniffling a bit around a broken laugh, I pulled my best friend in for a hug.</p><p>"<em>Thank you</em>." She just squeezed me tighter before pulling away and wiping the tears from my face.</p><p>"I will always have your back. Sisters at heart remember?" All I could do was nod. "Good. Now let's get you back. I'm sure he is just as nervous to talk to you as you are to him." She threw her arm around my waist and guided me back through the maze of hallways and each step closer to where I was before felt like a boulder was pressing down on my chest.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>Please let this not be a disaster...</em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: Slightly graphic description in the section marked *Dream*. Some may find it uncomfortable, so if that you then skip to the end of the dream section. It is not important to the story, but I still wanted to include it for context.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                                                                                           </p>
<p>"𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴?"</p>
<p>"𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴."</p>
<p>-- 𝐸.𝒟.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Standing in front of the door, I couldn't bring myself to knock or open the door. Taking a step back was pointless with Anna's arm holding me in place. She huffed in annoyance before knocking for me. Her fist had barely lowered an inch when the door flew open and the stunning man from before, <em>Aro</em>, looked annoyed by the interruption until his eyes settled on me making his gaze soften. We stayed in each other's gaze unmoving until a cough caught our attention.</p>
<p>"Apologies. Please, come in." He opened the door wider for us and Anna shoved me forward as I stared at the floor instead of looking anywhere near him. She turned me as the door closed and forced me to sit on the couch that I didn't notice before. When she turned to leave, I quickly grabbed her hand in a silent plea. <em>She may trust them, but I still don't.</em> She turned from my desperate look to Aro and he nodded his agreement. Sitting in silence for a few minutes, Annabeth finally cracked and got the conversation started.</p>
<p>"Since neither of you are going to start this, I will. I've already taken the liberty to explain some things to Liz, all that's needed is to clarify some things." I rolled my eyes as she smirked at me. "Hopefully, she'll behave this time." <em>Bitch.</em></p>
<p>"Do you have any questions then, Elizabeth?" He asked and I couldn't bring myself to say anything. Feeling Anna's elbow dig into my ribcage, I looked up to glare at her.</p>
<p>"Nothing is going to change if you don't start talking." She lectured me and I narrowed my eyes at her when her stern expression changed into a gleeful one. "They have a library..." <em>Damn her for using my weakness against me.</em></p>
<p>"Fine, but it had better be a good library." I grumbled as she laughed at her success. "What does all of this mate business mean?" I shifted my scowl from her to look at his confused expression.</p>
<p>"In what regard?" He asked, puzzled.</p>
<p>"I mean, I'm only a human and you're a vampire. This a big change to both of our lives, but as someone who plans for everything, I am left questioning exactly how much of my life that I'm being expected to change or give up entirely." I narrowed my eyes at his dumbfounded look daring him to deny my subtle accusation.</p>
<p>"We can discuss that at a later time, that is if you decide to stay of course. I want to make it clear that I won't force you to stay here or force the bond on you. All I ask is for the chance to get to know you, Elizabeth." He shifted in his seat before continuing. "I know you are probably confused about the memories that are surfacing, and if you would allow me, I can explain everything." <em>How did he know about them?</em> Shifting my shocked gaze from him to Anna, I was waiting for one of them to explain.</p>
<p>"Liz, breath." I registered the shaking in my shoulder, but past that, nothing. "Elizabeth, snap out of it!" Her muffled voice said and was probably yelled. "Do not make me slap you out of it again." Again, her threat registered in my brain but the growl that rang out finally pulled me back to reality. We both looked to see his eyes were pitch black instead of the crimson from before. She didn't look away but whispered for me to do something. <em>What the hell did she expect me to do?</em> Something in me said to stop thinking about it and just let my instincts take over, and as I breathed out and let go, I found my body rising from the couch and moving directly in front of him to block his view of Annabeth. He still growled in anger until my hand lifted his head up to look at me directly as I spoke.</p>
<p>"Άρο, αγάπη μου, αρκετά." (Aro, darling, that is enough.) While it may have been my voice, I still don't know how I can be speaking a language that I have no knowledge of. He visibly relaxed at whatever it was I said, but I saw the fight behind his eyes to not move. <em>At this point, I've gotten this far so why stop now.</em> I nodded my head in silent permission and I suppressed the shudder that ran down my spine as he pulled me down to straddle his lap. "Είμαι καλά, αγάπη μου. Δεν πάω πουθενά." (I'm fine, my love. I'm not going anywhere.) My voice spoke again, and I knew I would have to ask about this later.</p>
<p>"I'll leave you to it." I heard Annabeth say before the door closed, but I didn't dare to look away from his face. I'm not sure how long we stayed locked in this embrace until his eyes shifted down to my lips then returning to my eyes with the unsaid question. I knew what my instincts were telling me to do, but my overthinking side was still contemplating what this would mean if I did kiss him. There was a small part of my sounding the alarm bells and screaming for me to run away from the dangerous creature in front of me, but it was being drowned out by the much larger part that was begging me to just give in. Deciding to be spontaneous for once in my life, I started leaning in as one of his hands moved to cup my jaw. Just before our lips could meet, the door burst open, ruining our little moment.</p>
<p>"Father, there-" A dark-haired boy started before he froze at the sight of us, but I didn't miss what he said and the flash of shock in Aro's eyes. "Should I come back later?" He hesitantly asked, but I was still caught up on the fact that he said <em>father</em>. I didn't think it was even possible for vampires to procreate given that they are technically not living in the traditional sense.</p>
<p>"What is it Alec?" he asked callously, and as I tried to move away, he held me in place.</p>
<p>"You asked me to inform you when the Seattle situation changed." He timidly spoke and I felt bad for Aro's reaction towards him.</p>
<p>"Well? Get on with it." Aro growled out and I tried again to shift myself away from him unsuccessfully.</p>
<p>"It's worse than we thought. It appears that someone is recklessly creating a newborn army." With that, Aro dropped his head against my shoulder. He left an electrifying kiss on the bare skin before pulling away and releasing his hold on me.</p>
<p>"I'm afraid I must take care of this. Try and get some sleep while I'm gone. It is getting late, and we can talk more in the morning. I'll send Heidi to bring you some clothes in your size for tomorrow, but until then you are welcome to borrow something of mine to sleep in if you would like." Not knowing how else to respond, I nodded and numbly climbed off of his lap to go back into the room I woke up in earlier. Since he didn't mention which door was the closet, I picked one of the two and instead found the most extravagant bathroom I have ever seen. The shower alone could have easily fit ten people in it comfortably. Taking quick note of the stack of towels by the tub, I exited the bathroom and went in search of something to sleep in but all he had were expensive button-up shirts in various colors. Sighing at the lack of luck, I picked a rich blue one and smiled at the scent of him on the shirt.</p>
<p>Since I didn't really know how long this was going to take, I settled on taking a shower before bed to try and wrap my head around everything that has happened today. <em>Vampires were real!</em> <em>But does that mean that other </em><em>fairytales</em><em> were true as well? </em>I dismissed that thought process as I washed out the shampoo from my hair. I don't need to go down that rabbit hole before trying to go to sleep. I'm going to have enough nightmares as it is, they don't need more fuel. Shaking the remaining <em>what-ifs</em> from my head, I shut off the shower and dried my body off quickly before towel-drying my hair as best as I could, so I didn't have to sleep in a wet shirt.</p>
<p>Once it was satisfactory, I quickly braided it back and dressed in only the shirt, which thankfully swallowed my small frame whole, and climbed into bed. I tried to check my phone only to find it dead and sighed as I started at the ceiling before trying to get comfortable. After what felt like hours, I finally drifted off to sleep. And I really wish that I hadn't.</p>
<p>
  <em> <b>*Dream*</b> </em>
</p>
<p><em>Running through the forest behind my house, I was laughing as </em> <em>Annabeth</em> <em> tried to chase after me. After a few moments I could no longer hear her behind me, and when I turned around, she was nowhere to be found.</em></p>
<p><em>"</em> <em>Annabeth</em> <em>?" I called out only to be met with the echo ringing around the otherwise deathly silent wood. I repeatedly called her name frantically searching everywhere for her before letting out a blood-curdling scream at the scene I found.</em></p>
<p><em>Annabeth</em> <em> laid dead on the forest floor with her throat torn open and blood all over the area. Stumbling backwards, I didn't see the tree root sticking up and I ended up tripping over it while I stared at the body of my sister in heart. The one last person who was keeping me sane was now dead at my feet.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>"They're going to get you, just like they got me. Run away Elizabeth, before it's too late for you." Her voice rang out and I screamed again before the scene went dark.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> <b>*End of Dream*</b> </em>
</p>
<p>Bolting upright, I frantically looked around the room, terrified that I didn't recognize it until the door was thrown open making me scream again. I tried to back up against the headboard in terror at the blur of movement before my mind registered that it was only Aro.</p>
<p>"Tesoro, it was only a dream. It wasn't real. You are safe here." His calming voice spoke to try and soothe me, and I surprised even myself as I launched myself into his arms, sobbing into his chest.</p>
<p>"<em>It felt so real and I couldn't save her. Why couldn't I save her?</em>" I brokenly cried while harsh sobs racked my body.</p>
<p>"Shh. It's over now, it was just a bad dream. You are both safe here. I can assure you that Felix would never let anything bad happen to your friend, just like I will do everything in my power to do the same for you." He spoke lowly while rubbing soothing circles on my back and playing with my hair that had fallen out of the braid. Slowly he got me to calm down a bit and I was desperately trying to fight back a yawn. "Try and go back to sleep, darling." For a moment I nodded in agreement but that quickly turned to panic when he moved to leave.</p>
<p>"Please stay?" I begged, no longer caring about anything else that happened today. He hesitated, and for a moment I thought he would still leave, until he walked around the bed after kicking off his shoes and climbed in next to me. I quickly cuddled up to him, thankful of his naturally cool body temperature before my eyes were drooping shut. Just before I succumbed to the darkness of sleep, I heard him whisper,<br/><br/></p>
<p>"<em>Always.</em>"<br/><br/></p>
<p>I smiled at the word and drifted off again, this time without any more bad dreams.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: Slight sexual situation... Not much description, but it is spicy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                                                                                       </p><p>"𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥</p><p>𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱</p><p>𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘰𝘩, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘴.</p><p>𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘴</p><p>𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧,</p><p>𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘴</p><p>𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵"</p><p>-- 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓯𝓪𝓷𝓮 𝓫𝔂 𝓐𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝓥𝓮𝓻𝓷𝓸𝓷</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em> <b>*</b> </em> <em> <b>Aro's</b> </em> <em> <b> POV*</b> </em></p><p>Looking down at the sleeping angel in my arms, I have never been more at peace. While she may look like my beloved Genevieve, Elizabeth has already shown how different they truly are. Where Genevieve was more carefree and spontaneous, Elizabeth evidently prefers to plan everything but they both seem to care greatly for those closest to them. Even their personalities are mostly opposite. Elizabeth is much more reserved than Genevieve ever was.</p><p>Risking the slight chance of waking her, I lightly down her face and kissed her forehead before tucking the loose hair away from her face. As she began to stir, I smiled in complete bliss while she curled up on my chest. I knew that even if she woke up and decided to walk out of my life, at least I would die happy with this being our last moment together. Once she had settled, there was a soft knock on the door. Thankfully, it didn't wake her as I called for whoever it was to enter. I nodded as Heidi stuck her head in and smiled at us before quietly coming in with various shopping bags.</p><p>"Everything is her size and style thanks to Annabeth giving some input. Where should I put these?" She asked and I gestured to the closet before turning my attention back to my mate. "If that is all?" Quickly waving her off, my eyes refused to leave her face. Annoyingly, there was a louder knock on the door followed by the shouting of her friend.</p><p>"Liz, stop moping and come out of the room! You can't hide from your problems forever, you know." I didn't answer anything past a growl that her ears couldn't possibly hear until I was shocked into silence by Elizabeth nuzzling my chest and draping her leg over mine. I thought she had possibly woken up, but her eyes stayed closed and her breathing even. "That's it, I'm coming in!" As she threw open the door, I glared at her as her eyes widened in shock.</p><p>"What do you want?" She opened and shut her mouth a few times before shaking her head.</p><p>"I'll see myself out." I couldn't help the small smirk as she turned and fled the room, leaving the door wide open behind her. <em>The next person who dares come into this room uninvited is going to be sent straight to </em><em>Caius</em><em>.</em> And as if on cue, my annoying brother strolled in without a care that my mate was still asleep on my chest.</p><p>"Good to see she decided to stay. Now if she can get your ego in check." He laughed loudly as he spoke causing Elizabeth to stir a bit before settling.</p><p>"<em>Would you keep your voice down! And for your information, she hasn't decided anything yet. She had a rough night and asked for me to stay with her.</em>" I held back a growl as I lowly chastised him which he returned with another chuckle.</p><p>"<em>And yet she clings to you like a child while wearing your clothes. She may not have said it aloud, much less admitted it to herself, but it is obvious that she cares for you.</em>" He sarcastically replied as I rolled my eyes at him.</p><p>"<em>Why are you here </em><em>Caius</em><em>?</em>" It took every inch of patience I had to not move my mate off of me to personally throw him out of the room.</p><p>"<em>I just came to see what was taking you so long. You are normally never late to the trials, much less missing half the day.</em>" He said as he dropped himself onto my couch. <em>Was it really that late in the day?</em></p><p>"<em>If that was all, don't let the door hit you on the way out." </em>I gave him a pointed look and he raised his hands in mock surrender but didn't make a move to leave.</p><p>"<em>The rest of us would like the chance to meet her as well, brother. Try not to take up all of her time here.</em>" How I wish I could smack the smug look off of his arrogant face.</p><p>"<em>Well, if everyone would leave us alone for more than five minutes so we can have an actual conversation, then it wouldn't be a problem. And in case you have forgotten in your age, she only got here yesterday. I will not rush things with her, nor will I let you try to pressure her into staying.</em>" By now, I was just ready for him to take the hint and leave, but that is always too much to ask of Caius. Not even Athenadora, try as she may, can rein him in.</p><p>"<em>All I'm trying to say is that if you wait too long you could lose her all over again, and none of us want to deal with your mopey self for the next three millennia. It was bad enough the first time around.</em>" That finally did it and I launched one of the pillows at him without disturbing my mate in the process, and I growled a bit as he caught it effortlessly.</p><p>"<em>Just get out. She will wake when she is ready, and if one more person comes into this room for anything less than an absolute emergency, I will personally see to it that they spend time in the dungeons.</em>" Normally threats of that magnitude were more of Caius' specialty, but I was getting irate that my time with my new mate was being continually interrupted.</p><p>"<em>Fine, but that human receptionist is getting impatient and Felix is quite cross with you for offending his mate.</em>" He replied as he got up and went towards the door, much to my relief. He made sure I saw his mocking smirk before shutting the door behind him a little louder than necessary. How this exceptional woman can manage to sleep through everything that has happened so far is a mystery to me. Genevieve would wake at the smallest of sounds, but it seems that it would take a lot more to rouse my beautiful angel. <em>I really need to stop comparing them, clearly Marcus was right that they are two vastly different people and I need to get that into my head before I scare her off.</em> The distinct ring of the bell tower in the distance chimed noon and I knew that I would regretfully have to wake her so she could at least sleep tonight.</p><p>"Elizabeth, darling, it's time to get up." I tried to gently wake her, which resulted in her mumbling and her clutching tighter to me. With a small laugh, I let my hand gently run down her side as I kissed her temple. "Tesoro, it is noon. If you sleep too much later, you won't be able to sleep tonight."</p><p>"<em>Don't care.</em>" She mumbled as she rolled on top of me, effectively straddling my waist. I sat frozen, stunned by the action, all the while she kept her eyes closed and pulled the covers back over us. Feeling her nuzzle back into my chest, she let out a breathy giggle as she pulled my arms to where she wanted them and in my shell-shocked state, I allowed her to do as she pleased. She guided one of my arms up to her back, but I was completely shocked as she left the other on her bare thigh.</p><p>"Eli, are you sure you're okay with where you put my hand?" By now I could tell she was waking up more, but her words surprised me.</p><p>"<em>If you don't like it, then feel free to remove it.</em>" She said mockingly, but her rough morning voice made it sound more like a moaned rasp and I had to fight the urge to flip us over. <em>If she was okay with it, then so be it. Who was I to refuse my Lady?</em></p><p>"Do you plan on getting up any time soon, mia cara?" I hesitantly asked and earned a huff of annoyance from her.</p><p>"<em>No. Now hush before my brain wakes up fully and decides this was a dumb idea.</em>" <em>I swear, she can be as sassy as </em><em>Caius</em><em> is and I dread the day they team up for something or any of their future arguments.</em> Letting the conversation drop, I relaxed into the affection she was giving me and tightened my hold on her slightly. Feeling her smirk against my chest, I sighed as I realized just how much of a little minx she could be if she wanted to be. After a quick kiss to the top of her head, I decided to run my fingers through her hair while she pretended to be asleep on my chest. When my hand caught on a small knot, I tried to pull it free which only resulted in a soft moan and the smell of her growing arousal from the action. In an instant, my hands left her body causing her eyes to flutter open in confusion.</p><p>"What's wrong?" She asked as she leaned up to look at my stunned expression. "Did I do something wrong?" <em>How could she possibly think that?</em></p><p>"No, Tesoro. You did nothing wrong. I just don't want you to feel like we are rushing anything." Her eyes softened as she smiled at me before she leaned up to kiss me. The spark I felt could have restarted my undead heart with as strong as they felt and my hands had a mind of their own as they moved back to their previous places on her body, pulling her closer to me. For just a moment, I forgot my sense of propriety as I sat us up, so she was straddling me while she deepened the kiss. As her hands found the buttons of my shirt, I moved to leave open-mouthed kisses down her neck. Thankfully before we forgot ourselves entirely, a loud pounding at the door pulled us back to reality. Letting my head stay nuzzled into her neck, her bell-like laughter rung through the room.</p><p>"Yes?" The doors were thrown open and, of course, her best friend stormed in.</p><p>"Liz, it is well past noon. Why in gods' name are you still-" Not even bothering to look at her, I smirked as her rant stopped mid-thought. Pulling a trick out of Caius' book, I lightly nipped at Eli's neck making her suck in a breath. "Still standing right here, guys."</p><p>"Annabeth, I love you like a sister, but now is clearly not a good time." I had to hold in my own laugh as my beautiful mate breathily sassed her without even turning to look at her, which earned her an annoyed huff in return. "Unless you want to see a lot more of me than you bargained for, I'll see you at dinner." <em>Cheeky thing,</em></p><p>"Not like I haven't seen it all before, Liz." In a daring move that quite honestly surprised me as much as it probably did her friend, she reached between us and quickly undid the four buttons holding the shirt closed on her small frame before sliding it off completely and threw it in the direction of her friend. To keep my eyes from wandering, I kept my head where it was but nipped at her neck a little harder but not enough to break to the skin and I laughed a little as she swatted at my shoulder in response. "What has gotten into you, Elizabeth?"</p><p>"Nothing, <em>yet</em>." <em>This little...</em></p><p>"Okay, TMI. Fine, I'll take the hint, but we are having a long talk at dinner." Thankfully, she didn't wait for a response and slammed the door closed behind her muttering about finding her mate.</p><p>"Now that that is over, where were we?" I said between kissing my way back up her neck and capturing her mouth with mine. This time, she was the one to pull away with a small laugh giving me another gentle peck.</p><p>"<em>We </em>were about to get dressed for our day. We've stayed in bed much longer than I would normally and we've missed half the day." She smirked as she laughed and I playfully growled at her before flipping us, effectively pinning her underneath me.</p><p>"Tease." I kissed her one last time before I pulled my own shirt off to give her which she pushed away with a laugh at my confusion.</p><p>"In case you didn't notice, I'm not exactly shy about my body. I may like older fashion, but I am by no means a saint." <em>This woman will be the death of me.</em> "I know you haven't looked, but did you not realize that all I was wearing was the shirt?" I felt my eyes widen at the brazen question and I fought to keep my eyes on her face as my curiosity grew. "You can look, Aro. I see that fight in your eyes. It's okay." Slowly she moved my hand up her body until I stopped her.</p><p>"Darling, what changed your mind? You seemed so resistant to the idea I wasn't sure you would want this. Want <em>me</em> like this." Wherever the shy girl went from yesterday, I wasn't sure if she would return as quick as she left.</p><p>"After what happened last night and the care you showed, I knew that I could at least start to trust you. Plus, I had the chance to process everything while I slept, and I realized a few things. One of them being that I was more afraid of the what-ifs than I was anything else. My mind was jumping ahead of itself and going straight to <em>what if this doesn't work out? </em>or <em>what if he changes his mind?</em> and I realized that the jealousy I felt when Anna talked about what she felt about having a mate was my subconscious craving to know and feel what they had." She paused as she brought her hand up to my face. "But most importantly, I realized that even though we barely know each other, at least in this life it seems, that I would rather walk through the depths of hell itself than to walk away from whatever <em>this</em> is. So, this is me literally baring my all, heart, mind, and body, in the hopes that eventually you would feel the same."</p><p>Words failed me in that moment, and all I could do was marvel at how indescribably <em>perfect</em> my angel of a mate was. I don't know what I ever did so right in my life that could have granted me even a chance with someone so wonderful. All I knew was that I would do absolutely anything in my power to ensure her happiness.</p><p>"Mia regina, cosa ho mai fatto per meritare una donna come te?" (My queen, what did I ever do to deserve a woman like you?) I whispered and smiled at the blush rising in her cheeks. Rather than verbally responding, she simply pulled me down to her and poured everything words couldn't say into a searing kiss.</p><p>In that moment, I knew that heaven wasn't a place at all. Heaven was laying right here in my embrace.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: just to clear any confusion, Eli is pronounced like Ellie</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                                                                                        </p><p>𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘸, 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.</p><p>𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦:</p><p>𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴,</p><p>𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘐 𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥,</p><p>𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦.</p><p>-- 𝓟𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓸 𝓝𝓮𝓻𝓾𝓭𝓪</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>*Liz's POV*</em>
  </b>
</p><p>As he pulled back to look at me, the same care as last night shone in his eyes mixed with a look of affection and I couldn't help the smile that pulled at the corners of my mouth as my cheeks warmed. I had meant everything I had said. Apart from the nightmare, I had the best night sleep in my life with the most beautiful dream.</p><p>
  <em>Aro</em>
  <em> and I were standing in the most beautiful garden with the sun glittering on our skin while we laughed at an older boy with </em>
  <em>Aro's</em>
  <em> hair color, Alec I think, chasing after an older blonde girl, maybe the same blonde girl from before, and a little girl, maybe four or five years old, that had the same dark hair as the boy and my mate. The older two's skin looked much like ours while the younger girls looked normal, but she was keeping up with their speed. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Darling, it's almost time for them to eat. Maybe we should head back in for now?" I sighed as he spoke between kisses left on my neck. Smiling as I leaned back into his embrace, all I could do was nod. "Alec, Aurora Jane, Delilah Rose! It's time to go in for now." </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Five more minutes, please mother?" The blonde girl pleaded with me making </em>
  <em>Aro</em>
  <em> laugh against my skin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Only five minutes, then it's time to go. Okay?" She grinned at me while I smiled before they returned to the game they were playing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"</em>
  <em>Tesoro</em>
  <em>?" </em>
  <em>Aro</em>
  <em> murmured and I turned slightly in his hold.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, </em>
  <em>mio</em>
  <em> re?" I smirked as his eyes darkened at the pet name before he pulled me closer to him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"There are children present, amore." He chuckled and kissed my cheek. "</em>
  <em>Tesoro</em>
  <em>, I can never thank you enough for the wonderful family that you have given me. After Alec and Jane, I never thought I would get to experience the joys of having any more children, and yet you have already given me our little Delilah with another one on the way." He laid a hand on my swollen belly as he kissed me. "I don't know what I ever could have possibly done to have been given someone like you as my mate. My angel on Earth, how you have blessed me so."</em>
</p><p>Quite honestly, I woke up a little disappointed that the dream wasn't actually real but waking up to see that he stayed with me through the night made me realize that maybe I could trust him after all. It was definitely nice to wake up next to him and I secretly hoped that it wouldn't be the only time that I did.</p><p>"Since you insist that we <em>don't</em> spend the day in bed, how about I give you a tour?" He asked as he rolled us to our sides and laid his hand on my side.</p><p>"That would be wonderful. You mentioned Heidi would be bringing me some clothes?" Not that I wouldn't mind wearing another of his shirts as a dress, but something told me he would be opposed to the idea.</p><p>"Everything is in the closet for you to choose from. She mentioned that your friend had some input on the choices as well." <em>Damn Anna... If she picked anything, then I know it will most certainly not be anything I would ever wear.</em></p><p>"On second thought, let's just stay here." He smirked and kissed my forehead before chuckling.</p><p>"How bad can the options be?" <em>Just wait.</em></p><p>"Did you look at any of them? I know Anna, and I know for a fact that she picked things to spite me." I groaned, burying my head in his chest.</p><p>"Could they really be that bad?" He asked and I shook my head.</p><p>"Go have a look." He didn't respond and I buried my face in a pillow as he got up. He was hardly gone for a minute before he cleared his throat to get my attention. I slowly lifted my head to see him holding up a short red dress that looked more suited as a shirt and I was instantly looked horrified while he smirked.</p><p>"Absolutely not!" <em>Over my dead body would I ever bed caught dead in something like that! </em></p><p>"Not even for me?" I rolled my eyes and chucked a pillow at him as he laughed.</p><p>"Not where anyone would be able to see me. End of story." I said firmly and he glanced between me and the <em>dress</em> again before disappearing to look through the rest.</p><p>"Okay, I see your point." I could just picture the resignation on his face going through who knows how many bags. "Maybe Athenadora or Didyme have something in your size or possibly Jane even. You look to be about the same size, I think." <em>Wait, Jane like in the dream?</em></p><p>"Who is Jane? I don't think I have heard you mention her or seen her yet." I tried to ask casually.</p><p>"She is Alec's twin sister." He hesitated before adding the part I had guessed on. "My daughter." Finally giving up, he sat down on my side of the bed and I rolled to face him as he looked a little apprehensive about the admittance. I smiled up at him to try and ease his tension as I took his hand.</p><p>"Aro, I'm not upset or mad that you have children. Granted that makes me question how you reacted to Alec last night, but I can't fault you for having a family before we met. I care for you, and while I haven't met them yet I'm sure that I will come to care for them just as you do." As the first tear fell at my words, I raised my hand to wipe it away while I sat up to kiss him. As I pulled away, he engulfed me in a hug.</p><p>"You have no idea how happy that makes me, amore." I smiled as he kissed my temple before pulling back. "Shall we go see if we can find you some more suitable clothing options?"</p><p>"Please. If we can't find something in my size, I can always go get my clothes from my apartment instead since I live here in the city." I offered, but I doubt that was probably an option until much later since I don't think he would like it if I went alone.</p><p>"We shall see, but that can remain an option if you would prefer it." I shrugged in response. While I would like to get some of my own clothes, I didn't mind the idea of wearing originally owned dresses that are probably still well kept.</p><p>"Or I can just wear one of your shirts since they are so long on me." I teased as we laughed while he tackled me back down onto the bed.</p><p>"Not funny." He playfully growled.</p><p>"I thought it was. Consider it a little revenge for that top that they tried to pass off as a dress." I smirked back at him.</p><p>"Fine, I apologize for the dress. Now can we find something acceptable so we can go see my sister and Caius' wife?" He asked while conceding to my point and I huffed at having to go through the <em>things</em> Annabeth picked out.</p><p>"Only because I have to, but I'll be the one picking." I said with a pointed look. No way was I going to let him pick when I had no clue what was actually in the bags. He only laughed in response as I moved to get off the bed. Once I stood, the sound of his laughter was abruptly cut off and I winked over my shoulder before walking to the closet as bare as the day I was born. I heard him mumble a <em>tease</em> under his breath which only made me giggle as I closed the door behind me. Kneeling down I groaned at the various Victoria's Secret bags that held more lingerie than actual undergarments and resigned to wear the simplest pair I found with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, feeling more uncomfortable in my own skin than I had ever felt in the course of my life. And that includes yesterday. Wrapping my arms around myself, I walked back into the room. "Let's get this over with so I can change." I refused to look up from the floor and was a little surprised when he pulled chin up to meet my gaze.</p><p>"You still look beautiful, darling." I half-heartedly smiled as I looked away. He didn't say anything as he led us from the room, and I avoided looking at anything besides the floor as he led us through the halls and up a flight of stairs before stopping in front of a set of doors and knocking. I flinched a little as they were thrown open and I was pushed to the side as a woman engulfed him in a hug.</p><p>"Nice of you to finally grace us with your presence Aro." She scolded him and I instantly noticed the familial resemblance. <em>This must be the sister he mentioned</em>.</p><p>"I saw you yesterday, Didyme, not last century." I could practically hear the eye roll in his tone, and I stifled a giggle. "Sister, let me introduce my mate Elizabeth." She finally let him go to glance at me as I pulled my arms tighter around myself instead of meeting her gaze. To make this even more uncomfortable, she wrapped me in a hug as well which I stiffened at.</p><p>"It's nice to meet you!" <em>Okay, please let me go now.</em></p><p>"You as well." She finally let go as she realized I was stood rod still.</p><p>"Didy, I was hoping you or Dora had some of your old dresses saved and if it was okay for Eli to borrow one for the day." Aro said as I moved back to his side.</p><p>"Oh, of course we do! And I think I know just the one to suit her complexion. Leave it to us!" With that she shut the door in his face, and I was dragged into the room to see a blonde woman longing with a book in her hand. "Thena! We have a project!" Didyme excitedly announced causing the other to look away from her reading.</p><p>"Finally! I heard what Aro said, do you have a particular era that you prefer dear?" She asked me and I slowly nodded.</p><p>"Either Victorian or Elizabethan era are my favorites, but the Georgian and Regency eras are also good." I shrugged and they giggled with glee.</p><p>"Are you thinking of the same dress I am, dear sister?" Didyme asked and together they ran off in a blur towards where I am guessing was the closet before returning just as quickly with a beautiful navy blue with black trim and silver beads. I was instantly in love with the dress and I hadn't even tried it on yet!</p><p>"I think she likes it." I nodded eagerly as the tears filled my eyes. "We know it isn't one of the periods that you mentioned, but we thought it would look beautiful on you. Would you like to try it on?" Athenadora tentatively offered.</p><p>"Please? It's stunning!" Then I realized one small thing. "Would it still look okay if I wore a corset under it?" That seemed to surprise them, and they stared for a moment before glancing from the dress to me and back again.</p><p>"I thought the humans did away with them. If you would prefer a corset, it would actually look better with one. The back is high enough to cover it and the underlayer anyways. Did you have one that you brought here, or would you like to see if one of ours would fit you?" <em>Thank the gods!</em></p><p>"I don't have it with me currently, but it is in Aro's room with my clothes from yesterday." They shared a small smirk before turning back to me.</p><p>"Corin!" Didyme called and a brunette woman appeared, scaring me slightly.</p><p>"Yes, my queens?" She bowed slightly as Athenadora spoke.</p><p>"We need you to run an errand for us, dear. Can you fetch Elizabeth's corset from Aro's room and bring it here please?" The woman didn't respond past a nod before disappearing as quick as she appeared.</p><p>"While we wait for her to return, let's start off with hair and makeup and get you out of those clothes. You look like you feel remarkably uncomfortable in them." My cheeks warmed in embarrassment as I picked at the hem of the shirt. She handed me a silk robe and pointed me in the direction of the bathroom to change. As the door closed with a click, I quickly ripped the offending garments from my body and sighed in relief. <em>Damn you whoever created modern fashion.</em> Slipping on the silk robe and tying it shut, I gave my appearance a once over in the mirror and smiled in relief as my mood lifted almost instantly. After gathering the disgusting clothes, I returned to the main room to find them pouring over various makeup products before they noticed my presence.</p><p>"Feel better?" Didyme asked and I genuinely smiled in return.</p><p>"Loads better. Aro said that Heidi and my friend Annabeth picked out the clothing and I knew I would instantly hate it. I love Anna like a sister, but she has never understood why I hate modern clothes." For the first time, I shared a laugh with them.</p><p>"We completely understand. Most of our clothes nowadays are custom made for that very reason. Now, come sit down and let us pamper you." I giggled at her eagerness and I almost skipped to the vanity chair they had set up near one of the open windows. Once they had me situated how they wanted, I noticed the light reflecting off their skin like it had in my dream. <em>If I had skin like theirs, how was it possible for me to be carrying a child?</em> Filing that away with the other things I wanted to ask Aro, I let them get to work and they flitted about as they worked while keeping the conversation light.</p><p>"Can I ask a question?" I hesitantly said as Didyme took a step back to examine her work.</p><p>"Of course, you are pretty much a sister to us now. Whatever you want to know, feel free to ask." She said and I took in a breath.</p><p>"When I arrived, Felix and then Aro called me by another's name, <em>Genevieve</em>, and I was wondering if you could tell me about her. I've been having these odd flashes of memories that are not my own, but at the same time feel as if they are. Apparently, I look like her, but I still don't know anything about her." I softly spoke and I watched as Didyme's eyes widened at the realization before looking up at Athenadora. She was too shocked to answer, so Athenadora started for her.</p><p>"She was Aro's fiancé about two millennia ago. We had thought that she was his mate with how in love they were. Really, we were all close with her and loved her dearly. She was such a carefree spirit, never planned for more than what that day held, and was generally the most out-going among all of us. Honestly with how different your personalities seem to be, I didn't place the resemblance until you said it. When she died, we were all saddened by the loss but Aro and Didy were the most affected by the loss. She passed on right after she birthed Alec and Jane." She finished whatever she was doing on my hair and I was instantly up as I saw the tears well up in Didyme's eyes. As the first drop fell, I pulled her into a hug while being careful of the work that they had done.</p><p>"I'm so sorry for your loss. I may have not known her, but she sounds like a wonderful soul." I quietly said as I tried to soothe her. To lose a sister, I couldn't fathom how that must feel. Anna is the closest I have to a sister and I would be simply devasted if I lost her.</p><p>"<em>Thank you.</em>" She brokenly said as she cried on my shoulder. I looked to Athenadora and opened my arm for her to join our hug and cryfest. Once Didyme pulled away to dry her eyes, there was a knock at the door. "Yes?"</p><p>"I have the garment as requested and Demetri is here to escort her once she is dressed." Corin said as she set it on the sofa before stepping back. "Would that be all?"</p><p>"Yes, thank you dear." Athenadora replied as Corin nodded her head and left. "Let's get you ready, darling. Aro won't know what to think once he sees you!" She clapped giddily. "Are you shy about changing in front of others?"</p><p>"Not at all." I laughed as I removed the robe and she helped to lace up the corset once I had the underlayer and it on.</p><p>"How tight dear?" She asked.</p><p>"Tight but still where I can breathe comfortably." I said and she made quick work of cord. Feeling it pull my posture up correctly I rolled my shoulders back and sighed in relief. "That's perfect."</p><p>"Excellent! Now for the dress." Didyme said as her happy demeanor returned. The dress took both of them to put on while being careful to not mess up the hair and makeup that they had already done. Once the buttons had been done and the neck hooked, Athenadora ran off only to return with a pair of black and silver heels that matched the dress perfectly, and helped it to not drag the ground thanks to my small stature, as well as a silver and sapphire tiara. They both gushed a bit before turning me to see the final result and I had to hold back the tears at the wonderful job they did.</p><p>"Thank you, both of you." I hugged them both again before turning back to the mirror one last time to marvel at the difference they did. I mean, I still looked like myself, but now I truly felt comfortable again in my own skin.</p><p>"Of course, sister. We would be more than happy to do this again if you so wished. It gets rather boring spending all of our time here." Didyme said and I paused at her words. <em>If </em><em>Caius</em><em> and Marcus are keeping them locked up here, would </em><em>Aro</em><em> do the same to me?</em> "Now, let's not keep my brother waiting, shall we?" With that she ushered my still shocked self out to Demetri who offered his arm.</p><p>"Making sure Aro doesn't destroy the dress, would you Demetri?" Athenadora called after us and he laughed while we walked away.</p><p>"Good luck with that!" He finally responded and I gave him a confused look. "Don't worry about it. It's a bit of an inside joke." I slowly nodded my head. The rest of the way was spent in silence as he led me to a set of large doors. He paused for a second and told me to wait as he slipped inside for a moment before returning. "He's ready to see you." <em>Well, here goes nothing.</em> He led me into the same room that I had arrived in yesterday, and my eyes immediately searched for Aro. I couldn't help the shy smile as my cheeks heated up as his jaw actually dropped when he saw me. <em>Thank you, girls!</em></p><p>"Mia amata, you love exquisite." He said as he bowed and kissed my hand.</p><p>"Your sister wanted me to remind you to not destroy the dress. If that is all, I have my rounds to make." Demetri said emotionlessly and Aro simply waved him off without a word.</p><p>"I thought it would be best to start off with a proper introduction since we did not get to do so yesterday and because you have now met my sister and Caius' wife." He said as he wrapped an arm around my waist. "This is Caius and Marcus." They each kissed my hand like Aro did before stepping back to their previous seats.</p><p>"It is nice to meet you both, officially. I apologize for my reaction yesterday. It was all a bit of a shock, but that is no excuse." All three chuckled a bit at that and I looked at Aro, confused by the reaction. Caius was the one to speak up though.</p><p>"So, they really are completely different. Gen would have never apologized for her reaction to anything. I like this one." He smirked at Aro who growled in response.</p><p>"Ero solo educato, a differenza di te a quanto pare." (I was only being polite, unlike you, it would seem.) I quipped making him scowl at me which I returned with a smirk. He held the stare for a few moments before cracking a laugh again.</p><p>"She'll fit in nicely, I think." He said as he pulled me from Aro's side into a hug which apparently surprised the other two. "Wipe that look off your face, brother. It isn't becoming of you." I giggled at that as Aro went back to growling at him while Marcus looked on in amusement.</p><p>"That is enough, amore." Caius and I both laughed as he pouted at me.</p><p>"How about we start our tour off with the gardens?" He asked as he led me away from Caius and out a side door. <em>Could it be the same gardens from my dream?</em></p><p>"That sounds lovely." Truthfully, I was simply happy to be spending time with him. I could be watching him do paperwork, and I would be more than satisfied to be by his side. I knew that soon I would have to start asking my questions, but for now I was content with getting to know him.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Hopefully, that decision doesn't come back to bite me later.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                                                                                       </p>
<p>"𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥,</p>
<p>𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦."</p>
<p>--𝒥𝑜𝒽𝓃 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓀 𝒢𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓃</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Walking through the halls, Aro and I were engrossed in a conversation about the arts when he stopped us in front of another set of large doors.</p>
<p>"Do you trust me?" He asked as I turned to look up at him. Surprisingly, I didn't even have to think before answering.</p>
<p>"Yes." He smiled at my answer and gave me a quick kiss before covering my eyes and opening the door. Thankfully, I only stumbled once as the ground changed from the hard stone of the castle to the plush cushion of grass which earned a chuckle from him.</p>
<p>As I felt him pull me to a stop, he finally uncovered my eyes, and I couldn't help the small gasp that left my lips. Before me sat the exact same garden from my dream, right down to the beautiful lavender plants next to the white roses and lilac-colored hydrangeas. The one thing that I did notice that was different than the dream was a blanket that had been spread out and laden with food of various sorts. My heart swelled with the amount of thought he must have given this.</p>
<p>"You did all this?" I asked while turning to see the sun glittering off of his skin. Temporarily forgetting the food, I lost myself openly staring at my mate's beauty. My hand moved of its own accord as it traced the contours of his cheeks. <em>And yet, he calls me the angel.</em> "<em>Bellissima</em>." I wasn't sure quite how long I stood there marveling at was probably something very normal for him, but nevertheless, I still found it beautiful.</p>
<p>"Eli?" He whispered the question, drawing my attention back to reality as my cheeks burned in embarrassment.</p>
<p>"Sorry." I tried to take a step back only for him to take the same step closer and lifting my chin to look at him.</p>
<p>"Amore, please don't be embarrassed." He gently kissed my forehead before leading me to sit on the food-covered blanket. "I wasn't sure what you would like, so I had a little bit of everything prepared."</p>
<p>"It's perfect, but you didn't have to go through the trouble -" I started to say, only to be silenced by a chocolate cover strawberry being shoved in my mouth.</p>
<p>"You deserve the world, darling. This is something small, so we could get to know each other better. Hopefully, without being interrupted this time." He smirked a little as I rolled my eyes and settled back against his chest.</p>
<p>"What would you like to know then?" I asked while he hummed in thought.</p>
<p>"Well, since you have met my family, what should I know about yours?" The perfectly normal question instantly dropped my happy mood causing me to sit up.</p>
<p>"Um, you've kind of already met the only family I have. Annabeth is all I had left, until now." I awkwardly spoke, trying to will the tears away and failing miserably. I quickly wiped them away and forced the memories away.</p>
<p>"Tesoro, I am so sorry. I had no idea." I completely fell apart as I felt the comforting embrace of my mate as I quietly sobbed into his chest.<em> This is now the second time you have cried in front of him. Pull it together Beth before he changes his mind about you.</em> Slowly, I managed to gain control over my emotions while I sat up to wipe away the last of my tears.</p>
<p>"I apologize, I'm not usually such a mess." I said with a broken, watery laugh which only earned a confused look from him as I changed the subject. "Since I have yet to meet Alec or Jane, could you tell me about them?"</p>
<p>"Well, Alec tends to be on the shyer side and tends to either stay by my or Jane's side when he is here. On missions, he is usually with Jane, Demetri, and Felix because they work best together." <em>He looks so proud while talking about them, and it is honestly adorable. </em>"Jane though, she reminds me more of Caius than either myself or Genevieve. She has a wild spirit and once she sets her mind to something, it is very rarely changed. But I must admit to spoiling them both, probably more than I should have over the years. Truthfully, she can be a bit too stubborn sometimes and she doesn't really like any major changes in her life, much like you as well it would seem." I rolled my eyes as he nudged me playfully while teasing me for yesterday.</p>
<p>"Ha-ha, real funny." The small smirk on my face quickly dropped as he nipped lightly at my neck before kissing his way up and across my jaw and capturing my mouth in a searing kiss. Somehow, we ended up laying down on the blanket with Aro hovering over me all without moving apart. With one hand tangled up in his dark locks, I tried to make quick work of the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel any part of him that I could, when we were unfortunately interrupted by a loud cough. He placed one last peck on my nose before turning to glare at the one who dared to ruin our moment.</p>
<p>"What do you want, Caius? Clearly, we were busy." He growled out and I laid a hand on his now bare chest to try and calm him a bit.</p>
<p>"I was simply coming to remind you that we still have to deal with the Seattle issue, and to see if Izzy would like her own room or if she preferred to stay in your's." I didn't have to even look at him, his smugness was very evident in his tone. All too happy with himself for being a nuisance.</p>
<p>"Fine." Aro grumbled before returning his attention back to me. "Which would you be more comfortable with, darling?" I pretended to be deep in thought as I ran my hand up his chest and threading my fingers through his hair a bit before giggling.</p>
<p>"If it's okay, can I stay in your room? I'm not entirely sure about being on my own here." I said honestly, and then I had an idea. I stretched up and kissed his cheek before whispering, "It would mean more time we could spend together," I nipped at his ear and he tightened his hold on me. "<em>like this morning.</em>" I laughed a little as I pulled away and he groaned while I smirked up at him.</p>
<p>"Stuzzicare." (Tease.) I laughed as he pulled me in for another kiss, much to Caius' annoyance.</p>
<p>"Can we go now?" He huffed and I rolled my eyes.</p>
<p>"If we're keeping you, feel free to go." I sassed him as he scoffed and walked off grumbling. "How much time did that buy us?"</p>
<p>"Unfortunately, not enough." Aro sighed out as I laid down on my side next to him.</p>
<p>"Maybe I could just come with you?" I offered, much to his shock and amusement. "I promise I'll be silent. You won't even know that I'm there." <em>Honestly, I'm not sure why I felt so giddy about sitting quietly while he worked, but the idea of getting a behind-the-scenes look at the inner-workings of the Volturi fascinated me. </em>He seemed to be considering my request, and in a final effort, I gave him my best pouty, pleading look.</p>
<p>"I suppose, <em>just this once</em>, it would be alright." I was already standing when he caught my hand. "<em>But</em> you are to stay by my side the entire time." I nodded eagerly as he laughed at my easy joy.</p>
<p>"I promise!" I was quite literally bouncing in my place, acting more like a child having a sugar rush than an adult getting ready to sit through a meeting, but I had absolutely no care in the world.</p>
<p>"Jane and Alec are going to be there as well, so if you are comfortable with it, I can introduce you to them afterward." He said, hesitantly. <em>Even that did nothing to deter my energy. In actuality, it made me all the more excited.</em></p>
<p>"Great! Let's go!" I all but squealed in my excited state, earning a chuckle from him as he led us back through the winding hallways and into what I would describe as a large study. The second the door closed all conversation ceased as they took in the fact that Aro wasn't alone.</p>
<p>"I called it! I'll collect my winnings before you all leave." An unknown man spoke while laughing as Caius scowled at him. Aro just growled at them.</p>
<p>"Do I even want to ask?" He snapped making the rest of them laugh, minus Alec who just looked happy for us.</p>
<p>"A few of us, mostly those of us that were present for the little show yesterday, had a bet going and your little human showing up with you means the rest of us lost to Afton. Most of us didn't think the human would be foolish enough to be in a room full of vampires after how she reacted yesterday. Afton was the only one who thought that you would be stupid enough to bring her along and of course, Alec chose to ruin our fun by not participating either way." One of the others commented and I instantly regretted my decision. I tried to turn and flee the room as the tears prickled my eyes, but Aro's arm held me firmly in place as he growled loudly at them.</p>
<p>"Let me make this perfectly clear, if I ever heard of any of you speak about Elizabeth, <em>my mate</em>," I didn't even need to turn, the tension from his threat was palpable. "Caius will look like the reasonable one. Am I clear?" When no one said a thing, he pulled me tighter against his side. "<em>Am. I. Clear?</em>"</p>
<p>"Yes." Came the resounding answer as Aro walked us to a sofa and pulled me onto his lap.</p>
<p>"Now let's get on with it. There had better be new information." He warned and I tensed at his tone.</p>
<p>"There is. They have changed children that are close to being immortal children with how young they look. I wouldn't doubt that a couple of them actually are, honestly." One of them, Demetri I think, said and I was left angry that someone would do that to a child.</p>
<p>"The Cullen seer is watching our decisions, so we cannot make the decision on the matter." <em>How would he know that?</em> "Jane, Alec, Felix, and Demetri, you four are assigned to the task. Jane, you are making the final decisions regarding future actions. The rest of you are dismissed. Afton and Santiago, we will be having words later." I saw them both pale at his ominous words, if that was even possible, before fleeing the room with the rest of the vampires who were present.</p>
<p>"Father, what are we actually deciding on? Surely you aren't letting us decide their fate." Alec said, unsure of the situation which the blonde girl scoffed at.</p>
<p>"Father said I was making the final decision, so lighten up, will you? You don't have to make the hard decision, <em>as usual</em>." She muttered the last part under her breath making Alec glare at her.</p>
<p>"Enough, both of you! I will not have you two squabbling like children. We are the Volturi, and you are my children. I taught you both better than that!" Aro scolded them and I bristled at the tone as a strange sound rumbled in my chest. "Mia cara?"</p>
<p>"Apologies. I don't know where that came from." I quickly mumbled out as I felt my cheeks warm in embarrassment.</p>
<p>"Has she met them before now?" Marcus asked and I shook my head.</p>
<p>"Alec saw her last night, but they didn't interact any. All she knows about them is from what I have told her." Aro clarified as Marcus chuckled.</p>
<p>"Is it possible that the resurfacing memories are affecting her?" Caius questioned, and I was left completely confused as I looked to Alec and Jane who shared my concern.</p>
<p>"No. That isn't it. Bonds don't form from past memories." Marcus stated with an eye roll.</p>
<p>"Um, what bonds?" I asked as I glanced at their wide-eyed expressions.</p>
<p>"Did Aro not explain what gifts we have?" Aro shifted under me and I guess that was all the answer that Marcus needed. "What have you actually told her?"</p>
<p>"We haven't exactly had much time to ourselves, Marcus. She only got here yesterday, and Caius seems to enjoy interrupting any private time we have." Aro pointed out and I felt my eyes widen at the realization that I hadn't actually been here all that long when it felt like I had always been here with Aro.</p>
<p>"Okay then... Can I get a vampire101 crash course? What should I know that I don't right now?" <em>Might as well get it all out of the way now.</em></p>
<p>"Well, the major point for right now that is relevant is that some vampires have gifts. For instance, I have the ability to see the bonds that people share. Jane has the ability to cause someone great pain with a single look. Alec can rob you of all of your senses. And as Aro probably told you, he can read every thought you've ever had." <em>What the hell!</em> I was instantly up and away from him once I processed what Marcus had said.</p>
<p>"Liz." Aro tried to approach me in my frazzled and shocked state and I backed away, not so much in fear but more in an effort to protect any privacy I had left.<em> I knew not asking questions would come back to bite me, but not like this.</em></p>
<p>"You didn't tell her, did you?" I shot an annoyed look at Marcus.</p>
<p>"Clearly not!" I snapped and Caius smirked at me before looking to Aro.</p>
<p>"So, you bedded her before she even knew anything at all? How modern of you brother." <em>Asshole</em></p>
<p>"Can I go now? I need to speak with Annabeth." <em>Please just let me leave.</em> Aro gave me a hurt look and said nothing.</p>
<p>"Of course, Elizabeth. Felix will escort you." Marcus said and I gave him a grateful smile as Felix led me from the room. We walked the twisting halls for a few minutes in silence as I worked through everything.</p>
<p>"So, you're Annabeth's mate?" I asked and he instantly lit up.</p>
<p>"Yes." <em>Aw! He is too precious!</em></p>
<p>"Then since Annabeth is like a sister to me, it is my job to say that if you ever hurt her, I will find a way to make sure that they never find your body." I tried to sound threatening, but we both ended up laughing.</p>
<p>"Good to know, my queen. it's good to know that Anna has someone like you as a friend." He said and I froze. <em>I completely forgot about the whole queen thing!</em></p>
<p>"Right... So, how long have you been with the Volturi, if you don't mind my asking?" I can see why Annabeth goes on and on about him. He is surprisingly easy to talk to.</p>
<p>"I don't mind. I've been with them for as long as I have been a vampire which has been a few centuries. We don't really keep track of exactly how long it's been given that we live for eternity. Time doesn't really matter much once you have been changed." He explained and I guess that kind of made sense.</p>
<p>"Can I ask you something?" <em>Maybe he knew more about Aro's gift.</em></p>
<p>"Of course." He gave me a kind smile that helped to ease my nerves a bit.</p>
<p>"What do you know of Aro's gift?" I asked hesitantly and he chuckled for a moment before answering.</p>
<p>"Marcus gave a very glossed-over version of it. While yes Aro's gift is being able to read every thought a person has had, he has more control over it so he can only use it when necessary. I think the only time he used it on you was when you first arrived in the throne room yesterday to see just how much Cullens might have told you. But what Marcus also didn't mention, his gift is only confined to when he takes a person's hand. Normal skin-to-skin contact doesn't work." <em>Oh.</em> "Let me assure you, my queen, that Aro would never use his gift on you without your express permission first."</p>
<p>"Thank you. I guess it was just a lot to take in all at once, and I apologize for making a scene." I sheepishly said, trying to hide my growing embarrassment at my actions.</p>
<p>"No need to apologize. It was a perfectly normal reaction to the situation." <em>It probably wasn't but I appreciated his effort</em>. I smiled at his kind words and I realized that I was starting to hear Anna's voice echoing through the otherwise quiet reception area. I laughed as her confused look at seeing me there was quickly replaced by a bright smile at seeing Felix instead.</p>
<p>"I knew you two would get along!" She said with a laugh as she clicked something on her computer before getting up to pull me into a hug.</p>
<p>"The Masters asked me to escort her to you. She found out about Aro's gift <em>from</em> <em>Marcus.</em>" He explained before giving her a quick kiss in greeting.</p>
<p>"I see. Tell them I'll sort her out by dinner, if not earlier." She said as she gave me a small smirk while taking in my nervous state. "<em>And I'll see you after your shift gets done</em>." <em>TMI Anna!</em></p>
<p>"<em>Minx</em>." He teased with a laugh before he let to do whatever else his job entailed, and Annabeth turned on me with a sympathetic look.</p>
<p>"Alright, so what actually made you freak out this time?" I shrugged while she led us to the small sofa.</p>
<p>"I don't know, I think I might have overreacted when Marcus said Aro could read ever thought I'd ever had. But on the way here, Felix explained it in more detail and that seemed to help more than anything. I can see why he's your mate." I nudged her shoulder playfully as she rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>"Haha, yes he's the calm one. I get it and the universe is trying to tell me to chill out." <em>That it was. </em>"But are you really feeling better about that bomb dropping? I know it took me a while to get over it when I was told." She said as took my hand.</p>
<p>"I think so. I mean, Felix sounded pretty sure that Aro had only once used his gift on me without my permission and that was because he was trying to see how much the Cullens had told me which was pretty much nothing since I didn't really know them until the plane ride back here. I don't even think I was that upset about it to begin with, it was more that I felt like it was an invasion of my privacy than anything else." Even as I said it, I knew that what I was saying was the truth.</p>
<p>"So, you're not even mad for the one time?" She sounded surprised, and honestly, I was a little shocked myself, but I couldn't bring myself to care.</p>
<p>"Not at all. I guess I just needed a minute to work through the shock." <em>Speaking of</em>. "What the hell was with those rags that you tried to pass off as clothing options for me?" I lightly smacked her shoulder in annoyance. "Thanks to your little stunt, I had to meet Aro's sister and Caius' wife this morning so I wasn't uncomfortable all day. <em>They</em> were at least nice enough to loan me something that I'm actually comfortable in."</p>
<p>"Okay, so maybe I was trying to get you to wear something from this century at least. But come on Liz, at least consider some of the lingerie Heidi and I picked out. if not for you, then for Aro's sake. You've got a gorgeous body, why not show it off a little?" She tried to encourage me, but I knew that even if I did consider any of <em>that</em> stuff, I wasn't going to tell her that I was.</p>
<p>"Anna, you know how much I hate clothing from this century. Can you please just learn to respect that instead of trying to dress me up like a doll? I don't force my style onto you, can you please just do the same for me?" I asked and she gave me a hard look before relenting.</p>
<p>"Fine, I'm sorry Liz." She pulled me in for a hug and we giggled a bit. "Now then, are you ready to head back? My shift is over and if you would like, I can help you sort through everything and we can see what you actually want to keep versus what you don't."</p>
<p>"You do know that the majority of it is going to be gone, right? So, let's be honest here, you want to go through it so you can keep what I don't." I teased while she grinned.</p>
<p>She quickly pulled me to my feet and took off in the direction of Aro's room to organize all the bags and articles of <em>clothing</em> that Annabeth and Heidi had picked, laughing the whole time about old memories like we were somewhere else instead of two girls bound to two vampires for the rest of time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>                                                                                       </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Any moment might be our last.</p>
<p>Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed.</p>
<p>You will never be lovelier than you are now.</p>
<p>We will never be here again.”</p>
<p>--Homer, <em>The Iliad</em></p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>*Aro’s POV*</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I sighed as the door closed behind my dear Eli as Felix led her away from me. <em>Marcus just had to open his mouth.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I apologize, brother. I thought you had already told her about your gift.” Marcus said, snapping me out of my thoughts.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What’s done is done.” I dismissed him with a wave of my hand. “Besides the possibility of immortal children, are there any other updates for the Seattle situation?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“They seem to be stalling and building their numbers. It’s like they're waiting for something before making their big move.” Demetri stated as Marcus, Caius, and Alec gave me concerned looks at my changing of subjects.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Father, are you sure you’re okay?” Alec asked and all I could do was shrug in response as I stood to leave.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“If there is a <em>relevant</em> update, I’ll be in my study.” I didn’t stay to hear their responses as I quickly exited while the dark thoughts returned.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>You’ve blown it and after only twenty-four hours, that must be some kind of record! Why would she ever trust you now? You betrayed her trust by not telling her you had a gift, and on top of that, that you had already used it on her without her permission! Surely, she will leave you now that she knows. How could she ever love a soulless monster like yourself? She will never love you now. Now you get to explain to Jane and Alec why the one that is supposed to be their mother is leaving because of you. They’ll hate you for the rest of eternity because of your mistake!</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The sound of the table splintering under my hands barely fazed me. The chair breaking against the wall hardly registered either. Even as all my meticulously organized paperwork floated and scattered around the room, I could hardly bring myself to care. As my fist went through the stone wall, the pain of the cracks on my hands went unnoticed as well. All I felt was numb as my body finally collapsed amongst the carnage.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em>Father, what happened?</em>” I heard Jane ask, but she sound much too far away. I tried to will my mind to focus on my daughter as she knelt in front of me trying to get my attention. “<em>Alec, find Elizabeth! Start in their room.</em>” Eli? <em>Don’t get your hopes up. She’s probably long gone by now. The only reason she wanted to see her friend was to say goodbye. Why would she care about your pain anyways?</em> I’m not sure how long we sat in complete silence, nor how long it was before there was the faint creak of the door closing. “<em>We know he upset you, but please. If you care at all for our father, please help him.</em>” I sat completely still as Jane wrapped her arms around me before moving out of my field of view and the faint slam of the door made me think I was alone until a voice broke through.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Aro, what happened in here?” My sweet Elizabeth’s angelic voice rang through the otherwise quiet room as she sat in front of me and took my hand. “Darling, what’s going on in that head of yours to make you lash out like this?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em>Why?</em>” I hated the way my voice cracked at the look of concern she was giving me.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why what?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why are you here? Why do you care about what happened?” I bit out and I instantly regretted the harsh words as the concern changed to hurt. <em>Way to go, idiot. You are only giving her more of a reason to leave your pathetic self. Why would she want you as a mate when all you have done is break her trust?</em></p>
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</p>
<p>“I’m here because Alec and Jane asked me to be.” <em>And there’s the truth. She’s only here because they asked her to be.</em> “Alec said you had destroyed your study, but I didn’t think it would be this bad. Aro, I’m concerned for you. What made you react like this?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em>I thought you left.</em>” I managed to murmur and I’m surprised she could even hear what I had said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why would I ever do something like that?” <em>What?</em> “While I may have only been here for a day, I feel like I have been here with you all my life. I care about you Aro, probably more than I should given how short our time together has been, and I can’t fathom <em>willingly</em> walking away from what I <em>know</em> is the best thing to happen in my life.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why would you even want to be with someone like me?” <em>Someone that’s a blood-sucking monster.</em> I couldn’t bear to look at her and kept my eyes on our hands.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Please look at me, Aro.” When I didn’t respond, she used her other hand to force my head up to meet her gaze. “I want to be here with you because you make me feel things that I haven’t felt in a really long time. Peace. Safety<em>.</em> <em>Love</em>.” I tried to fight it, but a scoff left me unwillingly. <em>Great going, now she really will believe that you don’t care. </em>“I will admit, my reaction earlier was a bit much but I promise you it wasn’t in anger. I was in shock at first, but Felix explained it better and helped me to understand what Marcus left out.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And now?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Now I understand. Anna told me she reacted worse than I did when she found out, and she helped me to talk through what I was feeling. Aro, I was never mad that you hadn’t told me yet. I was more upset about the possibility that you had been using your gift on me without me knowing than anything else. I was upset at the thought that we wouldn’t be able to get to know each other as normal couples do. That I would be at a disadvantage because I wouldn’t be able to get to know you the way that you could in an instant.” <em>Wait.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Elizabeth, I would not wish to make you feel like you were less than the <em>perfect</em> being that you are.” <em>Yeah, until you fuck it up again.</em> I tried to shake the thought from my head as I took her hand in my own. “Eli, you are my life now. You have been since I first laid eyes on you, and I can only hope that you will continue to allow me to court you.” <em>Why would she give you any chance? You don’t deserve it after you killed Genevieve.</em> Apparently, the thoughts were more obvious on my face than I wished because her hand came up to cup my jaw as her thumb rubbed circles on my cheek.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Amore, I see the doubt in your eyes. I’m not sure what those thoughts are telling you right now, but what I can tell you is that whatever they are saying is wrong. Sure we had a bit of a bump in the road, but I’ve only been here for a day and a half at this point. We still have a lot to learn about each other, and I for one plan to be here for a very long time if you’ll have me.” <em>How does she manage to do that already?</em> Rather than bother with a verbal response that couldn’t possibly hope to convey what I was feeling, I pulled her onto my lap and poured every emotion I possibly could into a searing kiss. She eagerly responded as her fingers tangled in my hair while she adjusted to straddle me. My hands tugged at the material hiding her body as I pulled her closer. As our kiss got more heated, I felt the fabric of her dress tear under my hands and for a split second I knew Didy would not be happy but I honestly couldn’t care right now. All I could focus on was the feel of <em>her</em> blanketing my senses. Even as the blonde asshole that I had the unfortunate <em>brotherly</em> bond with walked in like he owned the place, my Eli had my complete attention. That is until he opened his mouth…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh good, you’re not busy.” <em>Every time. </em>I growled at his flippant attitude, but much to my satisfaction and his surprise Elizabeth was the one to take control of the situation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Caius, I may still be only human but if don’t leave us alone for the next hour I swear I <em>will</em> find a way to kill you with my bare hands. Now kindly go away and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” She snapped while her hands left my hair to begin working open the buttons of my shirt as I chuckled when the door slammed shut.</p>
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<p>“You really are a fiery little minx, you know that?” I teased with a smirk before laying an open-mouthed kiss on her neck as she giggled, and I loved the bell-like sound.</p>
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<p>“Yes but I’m your minx, amore.”I nipped lightly at her skin in response. “Maybe we should take this to our room instead of what was once a study?” I finally pulled away to look at the destruction I created and sighed at the state of the room. <em>She’s right. This is not the way that I wanted our first time together to be. She deserves better than me ravaging her among the rubble of my destructive outburst.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wordlessly, I adjusted my hold on her and ran us to our room while she laughed the whole way there.</p>
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